Closure for containers



Oct. 12, 1937. R. w. WILSON 2,095,622

CLOSURE FOR CONTAINERS WWWMMW,

EN ATTORNEYS Oct. 12, 1937. R, W W|LSON 2,095,622

INVENTOR. Ragni: llts'olz,

W1 www Patented Oct. 12, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT. oFFlcE 8 Claims.

This invention relates to closures for containers particularly designedfor application to containers for cosmetic preparations. So far as nowperceived the utility of the device is limited to liquid or viscouspreparations but if the new principles are adapted for. the dispensingof powder or other forms of materials such modifications are to bedeemed within the invention. A practical closure for such materialshould not only provide a sharp and complete cut-oi but should alsopermit convenient dispensing in relatively measured quantities with theutmost convenience. Closing of the discharge orifice must be effectedautomatically while permitting the discharge of the contents readilyupon simple manipulation of the container.

A further object of the improved construction is to provide a containerhaving the salient characteristics set forth and which shall be simplein construction, comparatively inexpensive, readily assembled, tight intransit and in non-use and workable by manipulations which will beapparent to the average user.

` Still another object of the invention is to provide in a closurepositive means for dispensing the material, the action of which may belikened to that of a pump. Such mechanism may not only be of such natureas to squirt the liquid positively from the container but also permitvariable quantitles to be thus expelled.

These and other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparentin connection with the detailed description of the embodimentsillustrated which are shown merely by way of example in the drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of one form oi' the improved closureshowing a fragment of a container.

Figure 2 is a viewin vertical section through the closure shown inFigure 1 and taken on the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a. View in vertical section similar to Figure 2 but showingthe dispensing element retracted.

Figure 4 is a sectional view through the dispensing mechanism shown inFigure 3 and taken on the plane indicated by the line 4--4 and lookingin the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a sectional view similar generally to Figure 2 but showing amodied construction.

Figure 6 is a view'in vertical section showing the constructionillustrated in Figure 5 but with 5 the dispensing element retracted.

Figure 7 is a view in elevation showing a modified form of plunger.

Figure 8 is a view partly in vertical section and partly in elevationshowing a c ap and plunger element provided with coacting means formain- 5 taining the plunger in projected position.

Figlre 9 is a view in section through the plunger shown in Figure 8 andtaken on the plane indicated by the line 9--9 and looking in thedirection of the arrows. 10

Figure 10 is a view in perspective showing the container cap illustratedin Figure 8.

Figure 11 is a view in vertical section of a modified form of plungerwith the stem omitted.

The container a may be of any suitable mate- 15 rial and form. It isillustrated for convenience as being of glass and having a threaded neckto which is secured a closing cap b which may also be of ,any suitablematerial, moulded or stamped. This cap may be knurled, if desired, as atb for 20 convenient application and removal. A yielding liner or gasketc may be disposed within the cap b to seal the container moreeiiectively during the operation of the dispensing mechanism. Betweenthe cap b and the neck of the container a 25 or, when a gasket such as Cis used, between it and the neck of the container a is secured theflange d of a cylinder e which may be moulded integral with the flange dand may conveniently be formed from rubber or the like. The cylinder eis shown 30 as circular in cross section, of lesser diameter thanthebore of the neck of the container, and as disposed within said bore independing relation to the cap b. In the side wall of the cylinder e isformed one or more openings e by which the 35 cylinder may be put intocommunication with the interior of the container and receive materialtherefrom. Disposed within the cylinder and preferably of the same formand dimensions as the cylinder is a piston element f. This piston 40 maybe secured to or formed integral with a plunger member which mayconveniently comprise a stem f' and cup f2, As illustrated in Figures 2and 3 the piston f is threaded to the lower end of the stem f', as atf3. The stem f' is tubu- 45 -lar having a central discharge oriiice ,f4therethrough terminating in laterally extending ports or ducts f5. Thecup f2 of the plunger is preferably made of the same form and dimensionsas the cap b so as to be disposed in telescopic relationship therewithand to be guided thereby in its reciprocating movements, as will appear.

As shown in Figure 2 the plunger element is projected. With the partsinthis relation the piston f lls the space Within the cylinder e andblocks The ducts f5 are closed by the gasket c. The material within thecontainer cannot gain access to the discharge orice f4, hence theclosure is tight. When the plunger is depressed manually the side wallof the cylinder e will be distended since the cylinder is made ofyielding material such as rubber. The parts may assume the relationshown in Figure 3 in which the cup f2 of the plunger is completelynested with relation to the cap b. With the parts in this position itwill be apparent that the piston f has moved downwardly elongating theports e' in the cylinder wall and the upper end of the piston has passedbeyond the upper edge of these ports so that the interior of thecontainer is placed in communication with the space within the cylinderabove the piston. 'Ihe retraction of the plunger mechanism can beconveniently effected by placing the cup f2 in the palm of one hand,inverting the container and forcing the container downwardly against thecaction of the said palm until the parts are moved into some suchrelation as is illustrated in Figure 3. The material within thecontainer will then llow into the space within the cylinder between thepiston f and the gasket c. Upon releasing the pressure on the cup f2 theresiliency of the cylinder e will throw the piston f sharply towards thecap b. The piston will force the material entrapped within the cylinderthrough the ducts f and out through the discharge orifice f4, usuallyonto the palm of the hand as is desired with such preparations. Thecontraction of the resilient cylinder e is limited by the engagement ofthe piston f with the gasket c at which time the orifices f5 areeiectively sealed.

I'he action described is most ei'ective for the intended purpose in thatthe movement of the piston j under the influence of the resilientcylinder is brisk causing the entrapped material to be dischargedquickly with a decided squirt. The force applied to the piston by thecylinder is greatest at the beginning of the stroke but is sufficient todrive it home to its final seat and with a sharp cut oi of the materialso that all of the material that is to be received is received with onecontinuous quick discharge and without any subsequent dribbling, as isdesirable. Further, it will be apparent that while the extent to whichthe ports e are opened by the piston f when in its extreme retractedposition may be regulated by the design, it is nevertheless possible toopen these ports to even a lesser degree by not bringing the cup f2 intoengagement with the cap b thereby admitting a smaller and somewhatregulable quantity of material into the cylinder with the consequentdischarge of less than the maximum amount, if desired.

The embodiment shown in Figures 5 and 6 retains the advantagesheretofore pointed out in that the material is discharged positively bythe action of a. piston element having a sharp cut off and insuring aquick squirt of substantially a predetermined amount of the preparation.Referring to Figures 5 and 6 the container A has secured thereto a cap Bbetween which and the neck of the containeris clamped a yielding ange Dof a depending cylinder E. The cylinder in this embodiment has its lowerend open so as to be exposed to the preparation within the container.Within the cylinder is slidably mounted a piston element F, the exposedend of which F' may be conical, if desired. The lower edge of thecylinder E may he ilared outwardly as shown to retain the material whenthe container is 1.1L-

2,095,622 olf the ports e' in the side walls of the cylinder.

verted. The piston element F may be secured to the lower end of a stemF2 which is carried by a plunger cup F3. the stem F2 having a dischargeorifice F4 therethrough, all of the parts being substantially in therelationship described in connection with Figures 1-3. A spring of anydesired form is interposed operatively between the cap B and the plungercup F3, that illustrated being a coiled spring g encircling the stem F2and interposed between the top of the cap B and the cup. This springnormally serves to hold the plunger element in projected position withthe piston element F seated within the cylinder E. At this time theports or ducts F5 of the discharge orifice F4 are sealed by the yieldingmaterial composing the base of the cylinder E which base serves thepurpose of a sealing gasket between the cap and container. The cylinderE need not be of yielding material but may be of metal or the like inwhich case a separate gasket is employed to seal the orifices asillustrated in Figure 2. When the plunger cup F3 is retracted the pistonF is forced downwardly as shown in Figure 6 exposing the interiorcylinder E to the material Within the container which may flow into suchspace. The spring g is compressed under tension. When pressure on thecup F3 is released the spring moves the parts outwardly with brisknessso the material entrapped within the cylnder E is forced by the plungerthrough the ducts F5 out of the discharge orice F1. It will be apparentthat the passage of the material into the cylinder can be impeded bystopping the movement of the piston F before it leaves the cylinder. Theresult may be the dispensing of a smaller quantity.

Figure 7 shows that the plunger need not be formed as a cup but maycomprise merely a disk or the like h. By pressure on the disk the stemh' with associated dispensing mechanism within the closure is retractedand an operation obtained in accordance with the principles heretoforedescribed. Actually, the disk h, might be omitted since it is the stemwith the discharge orifice that is to be reciprocated to bring about thedispensing.

If conditions make it advisable to do so in practice the dischargeorifice f4, F4, or the like might be stoppered to prevent theaccumulation of foreign particles therein.

In Figures 8-10 is shown an assembly by means of which the retraction ofthe plunger mechanism can be positively prevented until such time as themechanism is to be used. In those figures there is shown a cap z' for acontainer which may have longitudinally extending guide grooves i'formed exteriorly therein. These guide grooves during reciprocation ofthe plunger cup k receive, respectively, similar coacting ribs k'moulded. on the inner wall of the cup. The cap i also has formed alongits upper edge recesses or dimples i2 corresponding in number to theribs k'. By revolving the cup Ic the ribs ic may be engaged with' therecesses i2, respectively, and held yieldingly therein by the resiliencyof the spring means used in the assembly of parts such as, for instance,the resilient cylinder e in Figure 2 or the coiled spring g in Figure 5.These yielding elements obviously will permit relative rotation of thecup k and the cap z'. When the ribs 1c' are engaged with the recesses i2the cup cannot be retracted, hence accidental dispensing of the liquidis impossible as during transit. When the guide ribs 7c', however, aredisengaged from the recesses i2 and restored to alignment with thegrooves i the parts may be operated as before described.

Figure 8 shows a cup of moulded composition. Figure 11 illustrates howthe same principle may be incorporated in a cup l which is stamped frommetal and formed with dimples l in its side wall. This cup may bedisposed in the same relationship to a cap as is the cup lc, shown inFigure 8 with the dimples l normally in alignment with guide grooves.'Ihe cup l is otherwise like the cup k in its relation to the cap and inits mode of coaction therewith. By oscillating the cup and bringing thedimples Z' into engagement with recesses such as i2 the cup is heldagainst retraction.

It Will be obvious to one skilled in the art that other suitable formsof detents or latches to hold the cap and cup, or equivalent partsagainst relative movement, can be embodied without departing from theinvention. This might be done, for instance, even if the central stemwith the discharge orifice is employed without a separate plunger memberand itself is provided with means coacting with the cap to preventrelative movement when desired.

While the embodiments shown have been de-A scribed in somedetail theseare set forth only by Way of example since the invention in its broaderaspects is concerned with the provision of mechanism which is composedgenerally of parts having such a cooperative relationship as to bringabout dispensing in accordance with the principles herein disclosed.Changes in form, dimensions and materials may be made Without departingfrom the lscope and spirit of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a closure for containers a cap, a stem having a discharge oriceextending through the cap, a cylinder mounted Within the container, apiston element carried with the stem and reciprocable within thecylinder to expel material through said orifice, and a cup carried withthe exposed end of the stern and mounted in nested relation to the cap.

2. In a closure for containers a cap, a resilient gasket clamped on thecontainer opening by the cap, a cylinder of the same material mouldedintegral withsaid gasket and extending into the container, a plungerelement mounted in the cylinder and reciprocable therein to effect theexpulsion of material within the cylinder, and a stem carried with theplunger element and extending through the cap and having a dischargeorice through which such material is expelled.

3. In a, closure for containers, a cap, a resilient gasket clamped onthe container opening by the cap, a cylinder of the same materialmoulded integral with the gasket and having an open end exposed to thematerial within the container, a. plunger element mounted in thecylinder and reciprocable therein to eiect the expulsion of materialwithin the cylinder, a stem carried with the plunger element andextending through the cap and having a discharge orifice through whichsuch material is expelled, and a spring operatively interposed betweenthe cap and the stem to actuate the plunger for expulsion of thematerial.

4. In a closure for containers a cap, a resilient gasket having anopening therethrough, a cylinder within the container, a plunger elementmounted in the cylinder and reciprocable therein to effect the expulsionof material within the cylinder, and a hollow discharge stem carriedwith the plunger element and extending through the opening in saidgasket and having an inlet orice normally seated in and sealed by thegasket but movable with the stem into communication with the cylinder.

5. In a closure for containers a cap, a cylinder within the container, aresilient gasket clamped on the container opening by the cap and havingan opening therethrough, said gasket comprising the end wall of thecylinder, a plunger element mounted in the cylinder and normally seatedon said gasket but reciprocable' in the cylinder to effect the expulsionof material therefrom, and a hollow discharge stem carried with theplunger element and extending through the opening in said gasket andhaving an inlet orifice normally located in said opening for sealingwhen the ing an opening therethrough, a cylinder within the container,said gasket and cylinder being clamped on the container by the cap, aplunger element mounted in the cylinder and reciprocable therein toeffect the expulsion of material within the cylinder, and a hollowdischarge stem carried with the plunger element and extending throughthe opening in said gasket and having an inlet oriiice normally locatedin said opening for sealing by the gasket but movable with the stem intocommunication with the cylinder.

7. In a closure for containers, a stationary cap member fixed on thecontainer, a reciprocable plunger element mounted coaxially with and innested relation to the cap, interacting guide means carried by the capand the plunger to constrain the plunger against rotation in itsreciprocating movements, and detent means carried on the plunger andmovable by the plunger into coactive engagement with the cap to hold theplunger against axial movement.

8. In a closure for containers, a stationary cap member fixed on thecontainer, a reciprocable plunger element mounted coaxially with and innested relation to the cap, an interengaging rib and groove on theplunger and cap to hold the plunger against rotation in itsreciprocating movements, interacting guide means carried by the cap andthe plunger to constrain the plunger against rotation in itsreciprocating movements, and detent means carried on the plunger andmovable by the plunger into coactive engagement with the cap to hold theplunger against axial movement.

RALPH W. WILSON.

